Thursday's Frosty Mug
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 23, 2011 10:15 AM CDT
in Milwaukee Brewers News
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PrintSome things to read while keeping the safety on.
Somehow it feels like days off always come at times like this, when the last thing we need is two days to think about the previous game's epic failure.
Yesterday's game was pretty ugly for eight innings before the Brewers showed a brief flash of life in the ninth inning, plating a run and bringing the tying run to the plate with Jonathan Lucroy due up. Yet somehow, inexplicably, Ron Roenicke extinguished the team's chance of winning by lifting Lucroy from the game in favor of Mark Kotsay. Kotsay grounded out on the first pitch, a hanging slider from Kyle Farnsworth, and the game was over.
There's been a lot of criticism for Ron Roenicke passed around lately. I haven't agreed with all of it, but he absolutely deserves every bit of the blame he's receiving for that decision. If Roenicke honestly believes that Mark Kotsay is still a viable major league hitter, someone needs to pull him aside and enlighten him.
- In non-intentional walk plate appearances, Kotsay is a .234/.295/.281 hitter this season. He's even worse against righties: .220/.272/.268. Against right handed pitching, Lucroy is hitting .273/.317/.403, 180 OPS points better.
- Jack Moore of Disciples of Uecker has a look at the grooved slider that Kotsay was unable to handle.
- Josh Wussow of Inside Wisconsin Sports says "This Kotsay business is getting silly."
Even if Lucroy had to come out of the game, George Kottaras was also available on the bench. He was scheduled to pinch hit next, but Roenicke decided to bat Kotsay first and declined to explain why (FanShot). Even Ron Roenicke Stole My Baseball didn't have to add much to this conversation. Kotsay, by the way, denied an earlier report that he's interested in the vacant managerial job at Cal State Fullerton.
While Roenicke didn't give a reason for his decision to use Kotsay in the ninth, he did find time after the game to complain about the Brewers' interleague schedule. He has a point but so does TheJay:
Bad timing on Roenicke's complaint. Before the season he could have complained with the fans. Now he's just whining after a loss.
Even before yesterday's loss Ron Roenicke's approval rating had dropped eight points in the latest BCB Tracking Poll, and now sits at 53%. If we took another poll today I'd guess it'd be significantly lower.
Meanwhile, Shaun Marcum was limited to three innings yesterday as he continues to recover from the hip flexor strain he suffered in Boston over the weekend. He's expected to make his next start.
Other notes from the field:
- Ryan Braun went 1-for-4 yesterday to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 14 games.
- The Brewers picked off two Rays yesterday, raising their season pickoff total to two.
- David Price, Kelly Shoppach and Eliot Johnson are leading FanGraphs' Star of the Game voting.
- 39632 people paid to see yesterday's game, which is a really impressive crowd for a weekday afternoon.
- The hot dog won the Sausage Race.
Yesterday's loss wrapped up a stretch where the Brewers played 20 games in 20 days. They have an off day today before hosting the Twins tomorrow, but Joey Nowak of MLB.com already has a preview.
The Brewers are pretty well represented on Satchel Price of Beyond the Box Score's NL Central Dream Team: He has Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun in the starting lineup, Zack Greinke (#1) and Shaun Marcum in his rotation, Prince Fielder on his bench and John Axford in the bullpen.
A day later, some of us are still talking about Greinke's performance from Tuesday. Jack Moore of FanGraphs says Greinke has "found his zone."
Casey McGehee had a hit yesterday and has now has at least one in nine of his last ten games. Nick Petakas of The Brewers Bar says McGehee "should at least end 2011 as an even-plus WAR player thanks to the 3B anemia that has recently plagued professional baseball."
Many major leaguers have a clause in their contract preventing them from riding motorcycles, but I don't recall seeing anything about joining a motorcycle gang. Bradley Woodrum of NotGraphs raised some suspicions based on Axford's recent facial hair stylings.
In the minors:
- The Brewers are reportedly using the minor league All Star breaks to make a few promotions: Last night Jimmy Nelson tweeted that Wisconsin teammates Tyler Thornburg and Austin Ross are moving up to Brevard County (FanShot).
- The affiliates went 2-3 last night, with Taylor Green going 3-for-6 with a home run as Nashville split a doubleheader with Omaha. You can read about that and more in today's Minor League Notes.
- The Notes also have a link to this story on Brock Kjeldgaard, who was left out of the Florida State League All Star Game despite his incredible run for Brevard County.
- Kjeldgaard was also MLB Depth Charts' NL Minor League Hitting Performer of the First Half for the FSL.
- Huntsville was off last night, but four Stars took part in the Southern League All Star Game: Steffan Wilson went 3-for-4 with a double and drove in two runs, Erik Komatsu went 1-for-4, Wily Peralta allowed a run on two hits over an inning, and Michael Bowman had a scoreless .2 inning outing.
I know it's been a rough week for Brewer baseball, but maybe winning something will cheer you up? Forward Fabrics (run by friend of the site Tyler Maas) has some great Brewer t-shirts and you could win one just by liking them on Facebook.
Around baseball:
Braves: Claimed pitcher Dustin Richardson off waivers from the Marlins.
Cardinals: Released pitcher Miguel Batista.
Phillies: Placed pitcher Jose Contreras on the DL with a sore elbow.
You already know about Batista and much more if you've read this morning's edition of Around the NL Central, which takes a ticking and keeps on licking.
Today in former Brewers:
- Former top prospect Alex Periard has signed a minor league deal with the Mariners.
- The B-Ref Blog has a career leaderboard for percentage of plate appearances ending in one of the three true outcomes (walk, strikeout or home run). Rob Deer and Russell Branyan crack the top seven.
- They also have a list of pitchers since 1901 with over 150 career innings and an ERA over 6. There are 54 pitchers on the list but surprisingly only three (Andrew Lorraine, Ruben Quevedo and John Snyder) are former Brewers.
Matt Kemp is probably having the best major league season you're not hearing much about: He's only the eighth player in major league history with 20 homers and 20 steals before the midway point in the season.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going dancing.
Drink up.
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Comments
Kotsay is still a major league hitter
He’s just below average. Which makes it strange that he would pinch hit for an above average hitter in that situation. I’m cool with him being a bench player and getting spot starts in the outfield to stay fresh, but yesterday was a bit much.
What makes you say he's a major league hitter?
Other than that you heard it from Ron and Doug.
With some spin
Fact: He has hit balls major league balls in a major league game. Therefore he is a ML hitter. Notice how he doesn’t say a good major league hitter. Just that he can hit balls.
Follow up fact: I might be able to hit a ball off a MLB pitcher if thrown a couple thousand balls, that could make me a major league hitter as well.
The bar is low my friend.
If he hasn't been above replacement level since 2005 (!)
He’s not a major league hitter.
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Mark Kotsay is not a major league hitter
He’s a major league hitter AND part-time centerfielder. Get it right, people!
by The Left Button on Jun 23, 2011 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
And, apparently has photos of RR with a 12 yr old boy.
Thats the only logical reason for him to be RR’s #1 bench bat, right?
"I agree but dont agree"
by juggernaut400 on Jun 23, 2011 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
From the Beyond the Boxscore post
So far this season, Greinke has a higher slugging percentage than Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee, Brewers shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt and Brewers outfielder Carlos Gomez, all of whom have more than 200 plate appearances on the season.
And somehow this team is in first place. Wow.
Rubie might be on to something...
They’re striving to be the first team to win the pennant while actively trying to sabotage themselves.
Not to beat a thoroughly expired horse
but I would have been happier if one of the pitchers came up to pinch hit.
Eh.
The only way yesterday could’ve been worse is if Roenicke put Greinke into the game cold, and he tweaked a rib cage muscle swinging for the fences. That was the time to use Kotsay.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
Wait, I may have misunderstood:
were you talking about pinch hitting for Marcum in the bottom of the third?
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
I would've been okay with letting Marcum got to the plate
if he was strictly told to either bunt or just stand there and hope for a walk.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I would have been fine with that too.
As he was wont to do yesterday, Roenicke chose the worst option.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
No
Pinch hitting Kotsay for Lucroy. One of our starting pitchers would have been a more-potent option.
Oh.
Yeah, I disagree with that, for the same reason I didn’t want Greinke hitting for Marcum.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
By that logic
I’d put Kotsay in every day hoping he gets hurt. In any case, my point is just that Gallardo, Narveson, and Greinke might be better hitters than Kotsay at this point.
They are.
They are also pitchers who had spent the entire day eating sunflower seeds while camped on the top step of the dugout.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
This
Plus two more things…
1. pitchers get thrown to differently than regular batters
2. small sample size
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
1. Doesn’t change the fact they’re better than Kotsay (at least Gallardo)
2. Greinke, yes; Narveson yes, but larger sample; Gallardo’s been doing it pretty well for a few seasons now
1. How does that not change anything? If opposing pitchers threw to the pitchers you mentioned like regular hitters, they’re stats would be much worse.
2. Gallardo has 3-4x less PAs than Kotsay (and is currently hitting worse than him). Giving him more PAs would likely make his stats even worse.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I wouldn't have been
But there are other position players on the team that I would’ve preferred to hit instead of Kotsay.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Well he is slugging almost .400
The only person from that list I’d expect to top Greinke’s .389 slugging is McGehee.
I seriously doubt that Greinke's SLG will be that high by the end of the season.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Me either
But it’s not surprising that a contending team has 3 guys slugging under .400.
Under .400 is one thing
Under .350 is another. There aren’t many teams near or at the top of their division with three regulars with SLG under .350 (granted Gomez isn’t a regular anymore).
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
My point was more that the Brewers have three regulars
Slugging .323, .339, and .341 (though Gomez doesn’t seem to be a regular anymore, thankfully).
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions
While not something to be happy about
The Mariners are actually much worse off…
Saunders (.248)
Figgins (.254)
Wilson (.261)
Ryan (.309)
Cust (.322)
Ichiro (.334)
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
The sad part for the Mariners is
It’s still an offensive improvement from last year.
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions
but the great thing for the Mariners...
is absolutely no expectations for any kind of offense…
If Jack Cust is in left field, think triple.
by Rob Deer For President on Jun 23, 2011 11:37 AM CDT up reply actions
Kemp isn't the only thing getting overlooked in LA
I understand the Frank McCourt disastervorce is tabloid-huge, but they’re still playing baseball, right?
I guess I don't, haha.
Are you referring to the McCourts or the actual team? Because the McCourts are less interesting to me than the NBA Draft. Aside from giving perspective over how lucky we are that we got the Big A instead of a vile leech and his succubus wife for owners.
Actually, the McCourt stuff is fascinating.
In a “oh my god I can’t believe the kind of greedy awful stuff rich people will do and can get away with in this country” kind of way.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Jun 23, 2011 1:38 PM CDT up reply actions
You must not have many career miutes logged with rich people.
They’re the worst.
I hate Noah's guts right now.
by Dikembe Meiztombo on Jun 23, 2011 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Humblebrag!
"...just throw that pill over the plate and I'll make it happen." - Tony Plush
by thefreewheelin76 on Jun 23, 2011 3:06 PM CDT up reply actions
No.
I worked retail in Mequon for 6 years. Worst years of my life.
I hate Noah's guts right now.
by Dikembe Meiztombo on Jun 23, 2011 7:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I was commenting to the wife last night
That I think the McCourts are the perfect metaphor for much of America’s economy over the past decade.
They didn’t bring any value to the franchise, or create anything of value. They basically just split the teams’ holdings up into pieces (real estate, parking, ticket operations, and the actual baseball team as an afterthought) then proceeded to loot revenues from as many of those sources as they could, all to maintain their “lifestyle.” They had no other sources of income, and they just kept piling up the team’s debt level.
And now Frank’s position is that if the team gets sold out from under him, he gets to keep control of the parking, stadium, and ticket operations (i.e. the sources of income); whoever buys the team gets the debt. I don’t think that will hold up in court, but you never know what a Judge will decide.
I’m not a Dodger fan (in fact, I actively dislike them), but it’s still sad to watch. Not that that stops me from snickering every time I look at my buddy who was thrilled when they signed Manny to two more years….
Bad managerial decisions
While I totally agree that PH Kotsay instead of Kottaras there was a terrible decision by RR and he needs to get flak from it, I find it interesting that it seems to be the only thing being discussed with yesterday’s loss. Fangraphs had the Brewers’ win expectancy at 4.5% for that AB, if I’m reading things right.
So, let’s see if my math is correct here:
Not putting in the right PH with 2 outs in the 9th inning down 3 runs with 2 extremely slow baserunners on base = sole reason why the Brewers lost?
Granted, you have to evaluate the manager on things he can control, and RR made a bunch of really bad decisions yesterday (if sending Hart was his idea especially), so he should get roasted for that. Seems like we just have a crazy amount of overreacting going on in the past 24 hours to me.
by JLHanke on Jun 23, 2011 11:14 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Sure sounds that way
Yet somehow, inexplicably, Ron Roenicke extinguished the team’s chance of winning by lifting Lucroy from the game in favor of Mark Kotsay. Kotsay grounded out on the first pitch, a hanging slider from Kyle Farnsworth, and the game was over
Bad decision by RR, yes. Extinguishing the team’s chance of winning? That might be going a bit far down the hyperbole train.
He didn't say the chances of winning were 100% before Kotsay came in.
He just said that whatever flickering hope was left was snuffed out when Ron made that decision.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
OK
I guess I took the hyberbole train a few stops too far myself. My point being: RR had a bad game. I don’t know that I would say RR is a terrible manager based on that (and the other recent bad games by RR), which IS something that numerous posters have said.
by JLHanke on Jun 23, 2011 11:24 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I wouldn't say he's a good manager, either.
Maybe he’s just a rookie manager.
Remember when he put the suicide squeeze on with one of the hottest hitters at the time at the plate (Lucroy)? It worked, but if it hadn’t that’s a huge amount of egg on his face. Ron makes a lot of counter-intuitive and bad decisions. I’m happy for the team if they happen to work out, but frustrated nonetheless.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:03 PM CDT up reply actions
4.5% is a chance.
Kotsay made that chance 0%. I’d call that extinguishing the flame.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
I was going to calculate an estimate of the probability of winning the game with each of them up based on OBP
and HR, but it really isn’t worth it, is it?
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
Agree with sjlee
Too much work, not any reward. It would be interesting to see, though… (translation: I’m WAY too lazy to do anything about it, but it’d be nice if someone else wanted to kill time!)
I meant that his out made the Win probability 0%
Not that him coming in took it to 0. Before he grounded out, the Archimedian Principle tells me there was some positive number between 0 and the actual probability.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
4.5% Chance
I think we all realize that the chance of winning the game was slim to none at that point in the game, but a slim to none chance with a Lucroy or Klottaras hitting sure beats a 0% chance with Kotsucker.
The move made absolutely no managerial sense, and it seems to be a trend with RRR. That is what has people up in arms.
The point
is that with the tying run at home plate, you’ve taken out a player who has hit home runs and gotten on base relatively consistently this season this season for a guy who has done neither. And if it didn’t cost them the game, it sertainly led to an expedited ending with the first-pitch groundout on a mistake pitch.
The facts
Kottaras OBP – .324 (only 34 PAs) and .306 over the past 3 years in the majors.
Kotsay OBP – .310 (142 PS) and .313 over the past 3 years in the majors.
As I said, i agree that Kottaras should have been the choice over Kotsay. But we’re blowing this way out of proportion – Kottaras has more power, which means he would have been the better choice. But the chances Kottaras would have done better than Kotsay are not nearly as high as everyone believes.
I think the numbers change quite a bit if you remove IBBs
No way the Rays were going to IBB Kotsay or Kottaras in that situation.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
.298
Kyle put the non-IBB numbers for Kotsay in the Mug. His OBP this year is .298 without the 3 IBBs.
In other words...
It’s really .324 vs. 298 for this season.
I’m thinking that if you take out the IBBs over the past 3 years that their OBP numbers are much different.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
3 IBBs
Kotsay had 3 IBBs each of the last 2 years (2009 and 2010, which was what I was counting earlier). That would make a small difference, but not a huge one. Maybe he’s at more like .306 or so with those removed (Kottaras had 1 IBB last year).
Also
Why are we only discussing OBP? Wouldn’t OPS make more sense since that would give extra base hits a higher value?
OPS for 2009-2011…
Kotsay
.717, .683, .591
Kottaras
.696, .701, .840
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Yes
I don’t really care much if he walks, I want a double to the gap in that situation. If not a HR.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Agree
I only used OBP because I’m lazy and didn’t want to pull in all the numbers. However, since only a HR would have actually tied the game, I figure OBP wasn’t a bad single stat to use – in that situation (2 out, runners on 1 and 2, down 3), you’d love a double or a home run, but what you NEED is for the batter to not make an out.
You obviously improve the chances of winning more by doubling vs. singling, or hitting a HR vs. walking. I just wanted to point out that there isn’t nearly as much difference between the stats as people are making it out to be.
Why not look at something that's actually more relevant?
wRC+ for the season? wOBA for the season? I’ll give you all of those numbers here (wRC+/w)BA):
103/.323
129/.361
67/.270
I’ll bet you can guess who’s who.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree that their OBPs from 2009-now are very close
but once you look at OPS, I think the picture changes quite a bit.
Obviously “not making an out” > “making an out”, but as you stated an extra-base hit is worth more than a walk.
Anyway, I know we’re in agreement that Kottaras > Kotsay in that situation, but it seems like our main sticking point is exactly what the difference is. While we’ll never know for sure what the real outcome would’ve been if Kottaras had come to the plate, I think that even a 20% increase in WP (5.4% vs. 4.5%) is a huge difference.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I can agree to that
As I said way back in the first post, it was a bad call by RR. I was just trying to point out that it wasn’t an EPICALLY bad call. I have been known to be wrong occasionally, however.
Take a look at the stats I posted above
it was epically bad.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions
It is the rare situation
where it’s almost impossible to overstate how bad it was.
It was the hitting equivalent of taking Axford out of the game to have Danny Ray Herrera face Albert Pujols.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
I would've gone with Dillard, but it's actually a pretty good comparison.
Even Pujols would fail to get a hit against a mediocre pitcher more than half the time. Bringing in a ROOGY to face Pujols by pulling your closer would be “playing the percentages.” For a single hitter, there’s little difference between Axford and Dillard against RHB and you could look at Dillard and point to his success against righties as a justification for pulling Axford.
Ultimately, however, Axford is the right choice for the situation because his stats are still better than Dillard’s even given Dillard’s strength against RHB.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
I went with Herrera
because Roenicke was most certainly NOT playing the percentages by pinch-hitting Kotsay.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
LHB vs. RHP
He wasn’t bringing in Kotsay against a lefty. Clearly, it was terrible move, but in terms of RHB/LHB he made the textbook move.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
Textbook, yes.
I understood your comment to mean actual percentages, based on their relative performances this year.
We pull our pants up and do our jobs here.
Lucroy
His OBP this year is .314, and overall his ML OBP over the past 2 years is .306. Not too much better.
Define "much"
I think we have a disconnect on what “much” means. I meant that Lucroy’s OBP is not much different than Kotsay’s and Kottaras’ over the past few years (or even this year). .025 difference is certainly significant if you have a large enough sample size for OBP, but it’s not like there’s a huge gulf here.
Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
.025 is a pretty good difference.
Also, its a less significant difference when you’re talking large sample sizes than if you’re talking small sample sizes. When you’re talking small samples, you could double that difference in one or two PAs. Just remember, OBP doesn’t stabilize until around 500 PAs.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Less significant
I meant that a .025 difference in OBP over 500+ PAs between two players would be a more significant indicator that one is more likely to get on base than the other. If you have a small sample size, .025 difference is LESS significant in the sense that it is not as good an indicator of differences in player talent.
I think we're saying the same thing in different ways.
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions
I would say
that the difference between .314 or .324 and .295 is “much”.
Those are their OBPs (minus IBBs) for this season.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Did anyone consider the possibility that RR was double-parked?
Maybe he needed to get out of the stadium quickly before he got a ticket.
I'm not aware of any parallel parking spots at MP
So I don’t think that was the case.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
JN: "Mark has to get to the office for a video conference with China, Ron."
RR: Now? Sh*t. I parked him in again.
JN: He was pretty pissed the last time you did that.
RR: I know. Sh*t. Kotsay!
MK: Yeah, coach?
RR: You know I love you, right?
MK: You bet.
RR: I need you to end this game right now.
MK: I’ll grab a bat.
RR: Good man.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
by ecocd on Jun 23, 2011 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
So I realize there have been lots of jokes about "who's Jerry Narron and what does he do here"
but it really did take me quite a while to figure out who JN was.
I was a bit surprised to see
That Nyjer Morgan’s sac fly had a lower WPA than Kotsay’s groundout. Makes sense, though – it’s tough to score three runs with two outs, which is what Morgan’s sac gave us.
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions
In addition to what's been said below, I'll add this:
It’s relatively rare to find a situation where a manager puts in a pinch hitter in a non-pitcher situation where he shouldn’t. You almost never see a manager completely shoot themselves in the foot like that.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 23, 2011 11:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Any manager.
Assuming yesterday’s situation, with a non-zero position player due up in the ninth. I’d guess if you put 100 managers in that spot, they will maybe pinch hit 5-10% of the time. And those cases will largely be extreme – something like putting Braun (on a day off) in for Yuni.
I would guess something like this, where a lesser position player pinch hits for a healthy player, happen something less than 1% of the time.
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 23, 2011 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
What is the managers job?
To leverage whatever assets he has to gain the best advantage and increase the odds a positive result will become of it. No one is saying that RRR lost the game for the Brewers, we are simply saying that he failed to put the club in the best position to create a positive result. Kottaras could have first pitch grounded out, LUUUUU could have first pitch ground out…
The failure to put the best option you have into the right spot is a failure by the management. If I put a PR person in the roll of an accountant I can not expect good results. If I have a big pitch for a new client and I put my 5th best sales guy on it, then it’s my fault for not putting the best resource (sales droid) on the job.
by SgtClueLs on Jun 23, 2011 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
I am sales droid
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
Sorry to hear that. ;)
Having to engineer the solutions a sales droid promises… I some times want to stab sales droids.
Great way of thinking about it.
I do think there is a tendency to get player performance mixed with resource use. It’s illustrated by the trap of blaming the manager for bullpen misuse whenever a RP gives up runs. There is a difference between a player making a mistake and the manager putting a player into a position that is bad for the team.
This was a case of bad over managing mixed with faulty reasoning. If Lucroy hits a grounder to end the game does anyone sit there and think “RR should have pinch hit for him!”?
by Bernie's Mustache Wax on Jun 23, 2011 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions
No
We say, “Gosh, I wish Luc would have made better contact.” But that’s because he’s shown he’s capable of consistently making good contact this season. If Kotsay was already in the 8 and he was pinch hit for, and the pinch hitter hit a first pitch grounder, no one would be arguing Kotsay should have hit instead, because there’s no expectation that he’s able to do any better.
While I hated the move from Runnin Ron, it wasn't his biggest blunder of the day.
His biggest blunder was whinig about the schedule and interleague play. Doug didn’t hire Mike Quade here, so quit your whining, and go beat the teams put in front of you.
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
by Hyatt on Jun 23, 2011 11:25 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
*whining
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
by Hyatt on Jun 23, 2011 11:26 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
absolutely..
yeh..that was cherry on the op of an already depressing day and got me thinking what in the heck does an NL team have to complain about? They get the best of both worlds and in the Brewers situation the best of the best of three worlds since they get ot play in Boston and New York…I see that more as a gift..an exposure gift than a negative…Like who wants to squeek out a playoff berth and not be challenged along the way?
If Jack Cust is in left field, think triple.
by Rob Deer For President on Jun 23, 2011 11:42 AM CDT up reply actions
The real one with a beef with schedule makers is Rick Schlessinger
He gets the two biggest draws in baseball (and yes, the Yanx and Sawx are the two biggest draws in baseball) on the schedule, and both series are on the road. He’s the one who should be throwing darts at Bud’s picture for that bullsh.
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
In theory
Over the next 12 years the Brewers should be assured of getting a home series against both of them. I imagine the Yankees are disappointed they had to travel to Chicago rather than vice versa. Cubs are a damn good draw, too.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
That brings up an interesting thought
You know how in college football, especially, the big programs pay the little guys hundreds of thousands of dollars to play them before the conference schedule? Why not do the same thing in baseball! I mean, everything is already imbalanced and it would be a way to do revenue sharing that Steinbrenner could get behind.
The Yankees pay the Royals to play a 3 game series in NY, instead of playing it in Kansas City. The Royals get a fixed fee or a cut of revenue from the Yankees game. I have to believe there would be cases (Marlins) where a team could earn more revenue by getting paid to play in New York, Boston or Philadelphia than they could by hosting games in their home stadium.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
Doubt it
The parking revenue and concessions revenue would be greater than anything another team could pay out
"That's not a weird stat. Rickie is a run-scorer," Yost said. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter," Yost told reporters. "See, you guys have no concept. He's a run-scorer. So there's nothing weird about it. That's what he does."
BCB Fantasy Football League 1 Champ
I'd rather get to the playoffs without being "challenged" than play NYY/BOS/TBR and lose the division by one game because St. Louis got to play Kansas City.
"PLUSH ALERT: THERE WAS AN UNTUCKING AT FENWAY!"
by SRB on Jun 23, 2011 3:39 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
Dear Ron Roenicke
I noticed you’ve been having trouble identifying the best players on your roster. I would like to offer my services in assisting your decision-making processes. My qualifications are that I can read a stat sheet and I’m not a moron.
Regards,
David
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
by ecocd on Jun 23, 2011 11:37 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
that makes the dredded job app process actually fun now..
If Jack Cust is in left field, think triple.
by Rob Deer For President on Jun 23, 2011 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
Dredded?
You applying to work for this guy?
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
if they provide a space vehicle, I'll take it...
to seek out pinch hitters and shortstops from places cheaper than Dominican. By the way, wasn’t roenicke a left handed batter and an outfielder back in his day?
If Jack Cust is in left field, think triple.
by Rob Deer For President on Jun 23, 2011 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
According to BR he was a switch hitter, but threw left-handed
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
so does this explain his soft spot?
i bet their career numbers aren’t that far apart or at least RR sees himself there…
I think Greinke needs to sit him down..show him how to be honest..
If Jack Cust is in left field, think triple.
by Rob Deer For President on Jun 23, 2011 11:59 AM CDT up reply actions
Roenicke with a higher ob% than kotsay
in alot fewer at bats.,..but there must be something about him liking him because he reminds him of himself…There’s my psych 101 explanation because the stats explanation is not there..and I’m talking simple back of basebal card stats….my bread and butter..
If Jack Cust is in left field, think triple.
by Rob Deer For President on Jun 23, 2011 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
The Kotsay to Cal St Fullerton rumor...
…was probably started when someone overheard Dale Sveum during BP: “You know, Mark, as a hitter you make a fine manager.”
I wonder if Kotsay can hit BP home runs.
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions
Will Kotsay be on the team when we play in NY
With the DH back in play next week is there any chance that we finally cut ties with him and let Gamel DH next week and then use the spot for Boggs after the interleague games are over? We will probably need to score some runs in that park and Im really hoping that I dont have to endure Kotsay grounding out 4 times per game.
Is there a chance? Yes.
Is there a good chance? No, but I like your idea.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
And strikeout.
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
I was just thinking...
I seriously doubt that Kotsay will be released anytime soon, but a more likely scenario would be to put him on the DL (give him a towel-pillow), then call up Gamel for the interleague road series next week.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
But RR *wants* Kotsay to play.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Jun 23, 2011 2:00 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe it'll be a team thing
Sort of like this without the soap…
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
I didn't know Kotsay missed a meatball.
Somehow now sadder.
What’s the book on Kotsay now? Hot Zone: None; Cold Zone: All
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
I think the book is "Just don't intentionally walk him"
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
Maybe that's what RR was expecting to happen
The Rays would IBB Kotsay, then Kottaras would come up with the bases loaded.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
It's still the same as it was
"Just throw him a BP fastball. He’ll crush it and it’ll get caught in front of the warning track."
Now that's great tasting chicken!
by Kyle Lobner on Jun 23, 2011 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Haha I was just thinking about this
so great
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
Wondering why Melvin doesn't have a new SS by now.
Felipe Lopez is available. Defense would be better, bat only slightly. He played well for us when he was here, though I realize that was way over is normal performance.
by Mr. McGehee on Jun 23, 2011 12:25 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Was available
I think he cleared waivers and is down in the Rays’ minor league system now.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
The Rays have a soft spot in their heart for our cast-off soft tossing lefties, maybe they can trade us Lopez for DRH?
"I agree but dont agree"
by juggernaut400 on Jun 23, 2011 12:31 PM CDT up reply actions
He was really bad this year with less power tha Yuni.
Yuni is actually a better option than Lopez. As poor as Yuni is, he’s not technically the worst.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
On a different subject
Do we have a reliable lefty in the pen yet?
by nullacct on Jun 23, 2011 1:25 PM CDT reply actions 8 recs
Can you do one for the three ROOGIES?
DiFelice, Dillard, and (kind of) Loe?
by Cheeseandcorn on Jun 23, 2011 1:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Right now it's pretty much just Dillard & Loe
Did you know Dillard has as many appearances as Loe in June?
by nullacct on Jun 23, 2011 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
so good
"If we want to sign a Type A free agent, we would lose a second-round pick, but we don't have a way to get picks back. Our whole Draft process needs to be redone."
~Doug Melvin
by Charlie Marlow on Jun 23, 2011 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Maybe there is something to Loe needing more work to be effective
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
Nice one
To answer your question though, not a single one…
Braddock is still down in Nashville getting his sleep disorder in order.
Stetter and Parra are still on the DL
and Herrera doesn’t fit your requirement of “reliable”.
The only other options down in Nashville are Chase Wright and Dan Meadows. Yuck.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
How awesome would it be
If Parra came back for the stretch run and got his old form back…. good Parra could be very very good.
I'd be fine with his form from last season (bullpen)
Unless that’s what you were referring to.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
and now Meadows is on the "DL"
in the minors, the 7-day DL is more often used for creative roster management, however.
Hey, Sam Narron is left-handed the last I checked…
Narron is a starter
Not sure how he’d do out of the bullpen.
Pujols is the Barack Obama of baseball.
He actually looks almost exactly like his father.
No disguising the family resemblance there.
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
5 is awful early to start developing Pitch Face though!
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
Let's compare it to his dad.
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
Nibbling the corners of a grilled cheese
while standing in right field looking at the clouds.
Celebrating the addition of Greinke and mourning the loss of my man crush Cain
It just occurred to me
If that’s really his son’s name and not just a convenient caption then Yo’s name has formally been Yovani Gallardo Sr. for over 5 years. Should we be adding “Sr.” to Yo’s nicknames? Yo Sr.?
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
From his bio on Brewers.com
Is married … wife’s name is Patricia … the couple has a son named Yovani Jr. … Graduated from Trimble Tech (TX) High School … Donates game tickets to area youth groups … Favorite sport other than baseball is soccer … Last name is pronounced “guy-YAR-doe”.
Link (then click on “Bio” link, located next to his height & weight)
"You need to add a signature line about your sarcasm detector being broken like a Cubs fan’s spirit."
- molitorfan
Lol
Bill Hall is batting second for SF today.
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
I suppose as a supporter of a team that has batted Mark Kotsay second I shouldn't laugh
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
I'd rather take a foul ball to my back than my family jewels
But I’d rather not have a foul ball hit me at all.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
by ecocd on Jun 23, 2011 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
In other news
Nyjer Morgan decided to go fly his shark kite on his offday. Seriously. Could he be more entertaining? It’s like getting the playfulness of Manny Ramirez with precisely the right amount of crazy.
Founder of the BCBCU - Est. 2011
I hope he gets a lifetime contract with the Brewers
and that after he retires he is in the radio booth with Robot-Uecker for the next fifty years.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Jun 23, 2011 3:48 PM CDT up reply actions
iPad app / gameday to keep track of the details
Uecker & Plush for the laughs.
fka "warwick5s"
by DEUCE SLUICE on Jun 23, 2011 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions
You mean "head-in-a-jar" Uecker
Greinke: "It’s not about the guacamole itself. I just don’t want to let them win."
Sorry about the Hidden language
but this is what Bach did. Not sure about the u, y, or h entering his notation.
by Jess'HittheBall on Jun 23, 2011 7:41 PM CDT up reply actions
Alto, Treble, or Bass cleff?
Applying pop culture to Brewers discussions since 2009, earning the nickname of "Our Little Abed".
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NL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati
|
26 | 20 | .565 | 0 | Won 1 |
|
St. Louis
|
25 | 22 | .531 | 1.5 | Lost 3 |
|
Houston
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Lost 1 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
22 | 24 | .478 | 4 | Won 2 |
|
Milwaukee
|
19 | 27 | .413 | 7 | Lost 1 |
|
Chicago
|
15 | 31 | .326 | 11 | Lost 11 |
(updated 5.27.2012 at 12:11 PM CDT)
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